NFL teams
Kieran Darcy, ESPN Staff Writer 9y

Rolle: Prince's improvement evident

NFL, New York Giants

A sex scandal has erupted on the New York Giants.

Well, sort of.

Safety Antrel Rolle thinks cornerback Prince Amukamara's improved play this season is due, at least in part, to the benefits of being a newlywed.

"There are a lot of things different about Prince. For one, he's married, so he's [enjoying some things he wasn't experiencing before he was married]. For a man, that could definitely help him out," Rolle said Wednesday, according to NJ.com. "For a man ... I'm just being honest ... it's helping him out. He walks around with a little more swagger, which is something that we need, which is something that we love."

In an interview with Muscle and Fitness magazine last season, Amukamara revealed he was still a virgin, saying some people called him "the black Tim Tebow." He got married this past spring.

Reporters swarmed around Amukamara's locker after practice Thursday to get his take on Rolle's comments.

"I know Antrel meant no harm towards me -- me and Antrel, we always joke around, [although] not about stuff like that," Amukamara said.

"I felt that it was comical, [but] I know I'm gonna have a lot of explaining to do to my wife, 'cause I know her phone's probably blowing up," he added, smiling. "But just out of respect for her, I don't wanna comment on what happens in mine and my wife's house."

Rolle stood by his comments from the day before.

"It's true," he said Thursday. "It is what it is. He knows it's true."

When asked if that kind of thing helped him develop his swagger, Rolle said, "I always had swag," leading to an outburst of laughter from the media.

There's no denying Amukamara has played well this season. The former first-round pick, now in his fourth NFL season, has two interceptions in the Giants' first four games. According to Pro Football Focus, he's been the third-best starting cornerback in the league -- three spots ahead of teammate Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie.

"With experience comes swag, and I'm coming into my fourth year -- I've played a lot of games, I've played against a lot of great wide receivers, and I've been in the same system for four years," Amukamara said. "With all that consistency, I feel like that's helping me have a pretty good year so far."

He and his teammates will face a tough test Sunday, playing against the Atlanta Falcons -- who are tied with the Indianapolis Colts with the top-ranked offense in the league and have two star wide receivers in Julio Jones and Roddy White.

"Both great wide receivers," Amukarama said. "We know the challenge that's in front of us, and we're actually excited to face it."

Sex talk aside, Rolle sounds confident, too -- in the Giants' defense, and Amukamara in particular.

"I think Prince is doing a phenomenal job," Rolle said. "We just need him to continue to keep rising."

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